Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted retaliatory sanctions and other coercive measures between Western powers and Moscow. It also has an impact on Google, whose subsidiary is about to declare bankruptcy in Russia.
In a statement provided by The Wall Street Journal, Google says its subsidiary is unable to pay wages and meet invoices after federal agents seized its bank account. In addition, a court-imposed fine of 7,22 billion rubles (about $111 million) imposed on the company for posting prohibited content about Russian military operations in Ukraine on YouTube was due on Thursday.
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The Putin administration has been embroiled in a spat with Google and other big tech firms after they refused to comply with its demands to take down what it says is false information about Russian military operations. Google's statement went on to say that services will continue to be available and free to use in the country Android, Gmail, Maps, Play, YouTube and search.
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However, the tech giant will face ongoing challenges to make these services somehow relevant to Russian users. This is because many paid services remain unavailable because Russia remains cut off from the SWIFT global banking network, effectively making it impossible to provide paid apps on Google Play in Russia. However, in May, the Kremlin also launched an alternative market with applications for Android NashStore with more than a thousand applications.
